Gravity-hoist



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W/r/vEssEs- No. 62n,ao|. l Patented Mar. 7, |899. A. C. PRATT.

GRAVITY HUIST.

(Application led Apr. 14, 1898.v

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"Nrrnn STATI-3s ALEXANDER C. PRATT, OF CARSON, NEVADA.

G RAVlTY-HOIST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 620,801, dated March 7', 189e.

Application liled April 14, 1898. Serial No. 677,615. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, t may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER C. PRATT, residing at Carson, in the county of Ormsby and State of Nevada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gravity- Hoists, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to a gravity-hoist for lifting minerals from mines.

The object of the invention is to utilize the weight of the material mined while traveling down an incline in driving machinery by which other material may be raised from interior shafts in the mine and to construct and adapt machinery for such purpose.

The invention is not applicable to mines, quarries, or excavations where all the work of transportation of the material operated on is lifting; but Where, as in many mines and quarries in mountainous regions, the output of the mine or quarry is transported to a general level below that from which it was excavated this invention can be applied with great convenience and economy of result.

Figure lisa partial side elevation and partial section of a mountain mine provided with a gravity-hoist whereby mineral may be transported without the aid of a steam or other engine and by the power of gravity alone. Fig. 2 is an elevation indicating mechanism which embodies a species of my invention. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail of clutch mechanism.

Let 1 indicate the level of a drift or gallery in a mine, excavation, or quarry from which stone, coal, ore, or other mineral is to be lifted up incline 2 or perpendicular shaft 3 to the section 4 at the mouth of the mine or pit. From the pit house or station 4 a double tramway or track 5 leads down the mountain side to a discharging place 6 below the level of the drift or gallery 1. It is plain that the weight of-a loaded car moving down the way 5 to the level 6 should be more than enough to raise a similar car from 1 to 4, and if the excess of fall over the rise is sufficient to compensate for loss by friction and other causes no other power is needed to raise the cars from the galleries in the mine to the pitmouth than the properly-utilized weight of the cars traveling down the tramway 5. To

utilize theweight of such loaded cars, I have devised a mechanism which is illustrated in its general principles in Fig. 2, it being understood that the location and arrangement of parts is subject to wide variation.

ALet 11 indicate the cable or chain by which loaded cars, buckets, or other carriers are elevated to the pit-mouth either up an inclined way or by direct elevation. Such cable is Wound on drum 12 after passing over a suitable guide -pulley, as 13. The mechanism for operating said drum 12 to wind or unwind the cable Will now be described.

The car 15 on way 5 is connected to a c able 16, which passes round motor-reel 17. Reel 17 is fixed on shaft 18 by any suitable connection, so that the shaft rotates with the reel and the reel rotates by means of the draft of a loaded car drawing on cable 16 as the car moves down incline 5.

Shaft 1 8 may be vertical, horizontal, or inclined. It is supported in suitable bearings, as 19, and carries a bevel-pinion 20, which rotates with said shaft.

A friction-drum 21 is keyed to shaft 18, and` a friction-band 22, operated by lever 23 in usual manner, controls the rotary movement of shaft 18 in usual manner, so that shaft 18 can be made to move at-moderate speed and the loaded car attached to cable 16 shall not be permitted to move too rapidly down the ineline.

The cable 16 may be attached by one end to the empty car 15 and the empty car thus drawn up the tram as the full one goes down. The excess of fall outside the mine over the rise in the mine should be great enough to provide for this transportation of empty cars. Bevel-gear 20, as shown, is in constant engagement with two bevel-gears 24 and 25, and these bevel-gears rotate freely on countershaft 26, which shaft (supported on suitable bearings, as 29) is keyed firmly to drum 12.

A collar or sleeve 27 on shaft 26 is splined or otherwise connected to shaft 26, so as to rotate therewith,but to be free to move lengthwise thereon. v This collar or sleeve 27 has a IOO one direction, carrying counter-shaft 26 and drum 12 with it, or the collar may engage clutch 3l, and thus rotate shaft and drum in reverse direction-or, as shown in full lines, Fig. 2, the collar 27 may be out of engagement with the bevel driving-gears. A lever serves to shift the collar.

The excess of movement of drum 12 is prevented by a friction-band 36, engaging drum 37, which drum 37 moves with shaft 2G. A lever 3S serves to tighten the friction-brake on drum 37 in usual manner.

Now, assuming a loaded car at top of incline 5 and connected to cable 16, an empty car at bottom of incline 5 and connected to cable 16, and a loaded car at bottom of incline 1 and connected to cable 11, then, if the weight of the first-mentioned loaded car and the distance it travels be `great enough, the loaded car will move down and draw the empty car up incline 5. At the same time, if the collar 27,be shifted so as to wind in cable 1l on drum l2, the full car attached to cable 11 will be drawn up the incline to the pit-mouth, when by a proper switching or dumping arrangement the cars can be made to change positions and the full car at the pit-mouth becomes in its turn the motor to draw up the empty car. The mere release of collar 27 from both gears 2a and 25 permits an empty car connected to cable 11 to run back down incline 2,too rapid movement being prevented by brakes 3G 37.

From this description it will be understood by the constructing engineer that conditions may be changed according to the circumstances of the case, so long as the down travel of the loaded oars is great enough to furnish power` for drawing loaded cars to the pitmouth and transporting empty cars to same place or level.

The first car may be drawn to the pit-mouth by a windlass or other power, or a car may be loaded with earth or rock at the pit-mouth and by its descent furnish power to raise a loaded car from the mine, and thereafter the loaded cars will furnish power.

The brakes will be used to equalize conditions and to prevent excess of speed.

' What has been said of mines of course applies to quarries or other excavations.

will be understood that the gearing can be of such relative size as to utilize the power of the load moving down the outer tram to the best advantage.

1. In a gravity-hoist, the combination of an outer double inclined way leading to a level below the bottom of the mine-hoist, a lift in the mine, cars on the outer way connected by cable to each other and to a driving-gear at the mouth of the mine, and a cable from said driving-gear operating the mine-hoist.

2. In a gravity-hoist, the combination of the outer tramway with car moving thereon, a cable connected to said car and to a motorreel, a shaft driven by said rcel and having a gear in position to engage gears on a counter-shaft, a clutch by which such engagement may be effected, and a drum on the countershaft having a cable connection to a hoist within the mine, all combined substantially as described.

3. In a gravity-hoist, the outer tramway, its car and cable, the motor-reel, the shaft driven by said motor-reel and having a bevelpinion thereon, the counter-shaft with two loose bevel-pinions thereon in engagement with said bevelpinion on the main shaft, a shiftable clutch on the counter-shaft by which engagement may be had with one or the other bevel-pinion, and a drum on the counter-shaft having a cable and hoist connected thereto, all combined substantially as described.

4. In a gravity-hoist, the tramway, car, and cable, the motor-reel operated by said cable, the counter-shaft driven from said motor-reel, reversely-running gears connecting the motorreel to the counter-shaft,and a shifting clutch by which the counter-shaft can be engaged with either gear or disconnected from both, a hoist connected to said counter-shaft, and a brake device operating on the cou liter-shaf t, substantially as described.

5. In a gravity-hoist, an outer double tramway extending below the level of the mine, cars on such way and cable connection by which the full car draws up the empty car, a motor-reel and gear connected to said cable, and a hoist Within the mine up which loads are lifted by the motor-reel as the empty cars are drawn up the tramway, all combined substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALEXANDER C. PRATT.

Vitnesses:

M D. NOTEWARE, C. L. DEADY.

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